Negotiating Poverty

"As the gap between rich and poor continues to grow, more people than ever before live below the poverty line and their numbers will increase. Development aid has helped in some cases, but in general it has failed to seriously reduce destitution. The debate over how to tackle global poverty is fierce. On the one hand there are senior politicians and international organisations such as the World Bank and IMF, who assume that poverty is best alleviated by incorporating the poor into the globalised market. They have drawn up a policy document called 'Guidelines on Poverty Reduction', which outlines principles and aims for poverty reduction. On the other hand there are the development experts, activists and academics, who argue that the global market itself is the cause of continued poverty and suffering. 'Negotiating Poverty' tells their side of the story, grounded in a critical examination of these new Guidelines. With contributions from leading academics and activists who debated the Guidelines along with the politicians, it offers a radical analysis of the real issues. They argue that before any effective strategy can be put into action, the poor themselves must be included in the debate. For those in the developed world, responsibility must be taken for contributing to the creation of poverty before it can effectively be eradicated."--Jacket.